Methods and systems have been developed in an attempt to satisfy the increasing demand for information, multimedia and other communication services to the subscriber premise. One of the most popular techniques of obtaining these services is through the Internet.
The Internet is collection of over 25,000 computer networks connected through a communication backbone (NSFNET backbone) funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and is currently managed by Advanced Network System (ANS). A subscriber obtains an account with an organization's host computer (server) that is connected to the Internet through one or more networks. Traditionally, the subscriber is connected to the server through telephone lines using a personal computer (PC) and a modem.
As use of the Internet becomes more popular, different methods of accessing the Internet have been developed. Internet accessing systems have been developed that do not require a personal computer (PC) at the subscriber premise. These systems, commonly referred to as "non-PC based", are attractive alternatives to subscribers that do not wish to purchase or use a PC.
Typical non-PC based systems include a cable television converter box (set top box) located at the subscriber premise and connected to the Internet through the cable television network. The set-top box is coupled to the cable television network either through a modem or using vertical (VBI) and horizontal (HBI) blanking intervals. VBI/HBI techniques utilize unused vertical and horizontal scan intervals of a video program channel to transmit data.
However, these systems are limited in speed because of limited available bandwidth. Conventional modems are designed to operate over dial-up phone lines or other low bandwidth media. VBI/HBI techniques are also limited in bandwidth since only a certain number of scan lines are available for general use and represent only a small fractional part of the total video bandwidth.
Conventional non-PC based systems are also limited in functionality. The subscriber is not able to download and store files because of memory limitations. The subscriber may not be able to access particular sites that require specific client system application software since the non-PC systems do not have the available processing power and memory to utilize multiple applications.
If the subscriber desires to have additional functionality, the subscriber must install additional equipment or software or both. As more equipment is connected to the set-top box, the system approaches the architecture, complexity and cost of a PC.
If a host computer requires a particular application software to view information, conventional systems require the subscriber to install the software on the access system.
Conventional PC based and non-PC based systems are limited in functionality to a particular location within the subscriber premise.
Therefore, there is need for an inexpensive and efficient multimedia access method and system that provides high speed Internet access throughout the subscriber premise.